Orlando Magic: 2008-'09 Eastern Conference Champions! ECF Game 6: Magic 103 Cavaliers 90

The Magic led the game from start to finish in a resounding victory, as Cleveland could only get as close as ten points in the second half. The Magic were led by a playoff career-game from Dwight Howard with 40 points and 14 rebounds, while LeBron James had his worst game of the series scoring just 25 points.

The Magic, feeding off a great home crowd, jumped out to a 30-20 lead before settling for a 30-25 lead after one quarter. The Magic steadily built on that lead in the second quarter and went into the half with a commanding 58-40 lead.

The Cavaliers started quickly in the third, scoring eight points in the opening minute to get within 59-48. They eventually got to within 66-56, but could get no closer as the Magic led 86-70 going into the fourth quarter. The Magic, who were notorious earlier in the playoffs for blowing big leads, would not blow this one. The Magic's largest lead was 91-70 with under ten minutes remaining, and they still led 99-79 with just over three minutes left before cruising to the final.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 40 points (14 of 21 field goals), 14 rebounds, 4 assists
Rashard Lewis: 18 points (6 of 13 field goals), 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 14 points (4 of 7 three point field goals), 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Rafer Alston: 13 points (3 of 7 three point field goals), 2 steals
Hedo Turkoglu: 10 points (3 of 12 field goals), 7 rebounds, 5 assists

Cleveland leading scorers

LeBron James: 25 points (8 of 20 field goals, 7 of 11 free throws), 7 rebounds, 7 assists
Delonte West: 22 points (9 of 19 field goals), 2 steals
Mo Williams: 17 points (6 of 12 field goals), 5 assists
Anderson Varejao: 14 points (7 of 12 field goals), 8 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 46.2% (37 of 80) CLE 44.3% (35 of 79)
3 PT FG%: CLE 45% (9 of 20) ORL 12 of 29 (41.4%)
FT%: ORL 81.0% (17 of 21) CLE 50% (11 of 22)
REB: ORL 47 (11 offensive) CLE 34 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 19/12 CLE 17/10
BENCH: ORL 14 CLE 10

Other game notes and stats:

-Courtney Lee was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures, scoring eight points with four rebounds
-Cavaliers' center Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored just two points in 22 minutes
-The Cavaliers' trio of West, Williams, and Ilgauskas combined to score 41 points, after scoring 53 points in Game 5
-Alston and Lewis combined to score 31 points, after scoring just 18 points in Game 5
-The Cavaliers' bench shot a combined 4 for 11
-The Magic used an eight-man rotation, with Anthony Johnson and Marcin Gortat along with Pietrus; Pietrus scored all the bench points for the Magic
-Only two other Magic players other than Howard attempted free throws (Lewis and Turkoglu, who went a combined 5 for 5)
-Cavaliers were called for 21 fouls, the Magic 20 fouls
-James scored 13 of his points in the first quarter, and only 12 more points the remaining three quarters

The city of Cleveland, which hasn't won a major sports championship since 1964, will have to continue to wait after a franchise-best 66 win season by the Cavaliers went all for naught.

The NBA Finals start in Los Angeles next Thursday, June 4th.

Here is the complete box score from nba.com

Here is the complete recap from nba.com

ECF Game 6 preview

The Magic will have their best chance to eliminate Cleveland and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995 as they will play Game 6 in front of what should be an enthusiastic and loud Amway Arena crowd. Gametime is at 8:30 and will be televised by TNT.

The Magic are 2 point favorites.

Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports.

Congratulations to the LA Lakers, who will be representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, with a surprisingly easy 119-92 romp at Denver in Game 6.

The Lakers will be a formidable foe for either the Magic or Cavaliers. They would be definitely favored to beat the Magic, and would have the home court advantage over the Magic. LA might even be favored to beat Cleveland, even though the Cavs would have home court.

The Magic would save themselves a lot of trouble for preparing for a Game 7 in Cleveland if they can take care of business tonight in Orlando.

ECF Game 5: Cavaliers 112 Magic 102

Cleveland staved off elimination thanks to a triple-double from LeBron James, who also had plenty of help from his teammates. Five Cavaliers finished in double figures.

Playing at home, the Cavaliers jumped out quickly again on the Magic, as they made 10 of their first 11 shots on their way to a 34-12 lead late in the first quarter. The Magic quickly came back in the second quarter, cutting their deficit to just 56-55 at the half.

The Magic then started quickly in the third, scoring the first nine points to get their largest lead of the game at 64-56. The Cavaliers would cut the Magic lead to 79-78 at the end of three. The Cavaliers scored eight of the first nine points of the fourth to go ahead 86-80, but the Magic came back to lead 90-89 with 6:44 remaining, their last lead. The Magic were within 94-93 with under five minutes remaining before the Cavaliers outscored the Magic 18-9 the rest of the way.

Magic leading scorers

Hedo Turkoglu: 29 points (10 of 18 field goals), 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Dwight Howard: 24 points (8 of 10 field goals), 10 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 15 points (4 of 13 field goals), 8 rebounds, 4 steals
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 13 points (3 of 5 three point field goals)

Cleveland leading scorers

LeBron James: 37 points (11 of 24 field goals, 15 of 19 free throws), 14 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 turnovers
Mo Williams: 24 points (6 of 9 three point field goals), 2 steals
Zadrunas Ilgauskas: 16 points (6 of 8 field goals), 6 rebounds
Delonte West: 13 points (6 of 13 field goals)
Daniel Gibson (bench): 11 points (3 of 4 three point field goals)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: CLE 50% (38 of 76) ORL 45.8% (33 of 72)
3 PT FG%: CLE 50% (9 of 18) ORL 32.0% (8 of 25)
FT%: CLE 79.4% (27 of 34) ORL 68.3% (28 of 41)
REB: CLE 39 (8 offensive) ORL 38 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: CLE 21/12 ORL 12/12
BENCH: ORL 22 CLE 15

Other game notes and stats:

-Rafer Alston, who scored a playoff career-high 26 points in Game 4, scored just 3 points on 1 of 10 shooting, including 1 of 7 from three point range, but led the Magic in assists with 4
-The other starting guard for the Magic, Courtney Lee, added nine points and three steals
-The Cavaliers' trio of Williams, West, and Ilgauskas combined to score 53 points on 19 of 35 shooting
-The Cavaliers' starting guards outscored the Magic starting guards 37-12
-James either scored or assisted to account for all 34 Cavaliers' points in the fourth quarter
-In a span covering late in the first through the second quarter and early in the third quarter, the Magic outscored the Cavaliers 52-22, making 20 of 32 shots, to overcome a 34-12 deficit to begin the game
-Cleveland made 14 of their first 18 shots, while the Magic made just 4 of their first 15 shots
-Howard fouled out late in the fourth for the Magic
-The Magic made just 11 of 22 free throws in the first half
-The Cavaliers outscored the Magic 85-74 from the field
-Alston and Lewis combined to shoot 2 of 12 from three point range
-The Magic were whistled for 27 fouls, while the Cavaliers were whistled for 25 fouls, but the Magic had more free throws attempted at 41 while the Cavaliers had 34 free throw attempts

Game 6 will be in Orlando Saturday night.

Here is the complete recap from nba.com

Here is the complete box score from nba.com

ECF Game 5 Thursday night preview

The Magic can close out number one seed Cleveland on the Cavaliers' home floor tonight.

The Cavaliers are 7 1/2 point favorites.

Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports.

NBA Rescinds Technical Foul on Dwight Howard

The NBA announced Wednesday that it has rescinded Howard's sixth technical foul of the playoffs, which he was given for taunting Anderson Varejao after a layup in the fourth quarter of the Magic's 116-114 overtime victory Tuesday night. Cleveland's forward had draped his arms around Howard in a failed attempt to stop him from scoring.

Howard's total of technicals for the postseason is thus back down to five. Players receive a one-game suspension after reaching seven technical fouls and further one-game suspensions for every other technical thereafter.

ECF Game 4: Magic 116 Cavaliers 114 OT

In an extremely tense, exciting game, especially in the second half and overtime, the Magic, who made a playoff-franchise record 17 three pointers, prevailed to take a commanding three games to one series lead. Lebron James, who scored 44 points, missed a desperation 35 foot three pointer at the overtime buzzer.

The game went into overtime as James made two free throws with a half-second remaining in regulation, which followed a Rashard Lewis three pointer with 4.1 seconds remaining to put the Magic ahead by two. The Magic had a chance to win in the final 0.5 seconds, but Hedo Turkoglu's lob to Dwight Howard failed to connect as Howard tumbled to the court while being guarded by Anderson Varejao.

Once again, the Magic got off to a quick start, making 7 of their first 8 shots to lead 19-12, before the Cavaliers ended the first on a 13-1 run to lead 25-21. The Magic were able to re-establish their lead in the second to as much as 43-35, before Cleveland finished the half on a 23-7 run by making 9 of their final 10 shots of the half to lead 58-50.

The Cavaliers were able to keep their lead throughout the third quarter, but the Magic cut their deficit to 79-78 after three. The Magic started out strong in the fourth, as they led by as much as 91-83 with under 8 minutes remaining, and still led 96-90 with 4:18 remaining. The Magic then proceeded to miss their next six shot attempts and committed two turnovers as the Cavaliers took a 98-97 lead to set up the dramatic final seconds and overtime.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 27 points (10 of 16 field goals, 7 of 9 free throws), 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks
Rafer Alston: 26 points (10 of 17 field goals, 6 of 12 three point field goals), 4 assists, 2 steals
Rashard Lewis: 17 points (5 of 9 field goals, 2 of 4 three point field goals), 5 rebounds
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 17 points (5 of 11 three point field goals)
Hedo Turkoglu: 15 points (5 of 13 field goals), 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 5 turnovers

Cleveland leading scorers

LeBron James: 44 points (13 of 29 field goals, 4 of 10 three point field goals, 14 of 18 free throws), 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 8 turnovers
Mo Williams: 18 points (5 of 15 field goals), 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Delonte West: 17 points (7 of 15 field goals), 7 assists, 5 rebounds
Zadrunas Ilgauskas: 12 points (5 of 9 field goals), 9 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 50% (40 of 80) CLE 44.8% (39 of 87)
3 PT FG%: ORL 44.7% (17 of 38) CLE 27.3% (6 of 22)
FT%: CLE 83.3% (30 of 36) ORL 70.4% (19 of 27)
REB: CLE 40 (7 offensive) ORL 38 (4 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 21/15 CLE 17/14
BENCH: ORL 26 CLE 14

Other game notes and stats:

-The Cavaliers outscored the Magic 66-46 on two point field goals
-The Magic outscored the Cavaliers 51-18 on three pointers
-Howard scored 11 points in the first quarter and ten points in the overtime
-Anderson Varejao had 5 steals for the Cavaliers
-The Magic missed their final 10 shots in the first quarter
-Daniel Gibson led the Cavaliers' reserves with 8 points
-The Magic made 11 of 23 three pointers in the second half and overtime
-The Cavaliers made just 3 of 13 three pointers in the second half and overtime
-The Magic held the Cavaliers to 42 points in the third and fourth quarters
-Each team was whistled for 25 fouls, with only Varejao fouling out
-Howard is now 21 of 28 shooting free throws the last two games
-Howard received a technical foul for supposedly taunting Varejao after a basket; Howard now has six technicals in the playoffs and if he receives another one, will be suspended for a game

Game 5 will be in Cleveland Thursday night.

Here is the complete box score from nba.com

Here is the complete recap from nba.com

Williams guarantees Cavs' series win over Magic

Here are some excerpts from the cbssports.com article:

Williams remains confident.

"They deserve respect," he said. "They are a good team. But we are the best team in basketball. I don't feel that they've had to adjust to us one time in the series."

"Guarantee we're going to win the series? Yeah, yeah," he said. "We are down 2-1. But there is nobody on this team and definitely not myself that says we are not going to win this series. Yeah, it is going to be tough. We know that. We get this game tomorrow, go home, still got home-court advantage.

"We just got to go out there and play,"(Dwight) Howard said. "We can't worry about what other guys are saying."

******************************************************************************************************************************************** The Magic, even though they lead the series 2-1 and are playing at home tonight for Game 4, are a 1 1/2 point underdog.

The oddsmakers have had no clue about this series, as the Magic have soundly beaten the point spread in all three games.

Gametime is at 8:30 Eastern and will be televised on TNT.

ECF Game 3: Magic 99 Cavaliers 89

In an extremely physical, tightly called game which featured a combined 86 free throws, the Magic prevailed, led by five players in double figures. Cleveland's LeBron James scored 41 points, but shot poorly, and only two other teammates finished in double figures.

The Magic did indeed get off to a fast start in their first home game of the series, leading 16-6, which was their largest lead of the game. The Magic led 24-17 after one. After Dwight Howard picked up his third foul with 7:27 remaining in the second quarter and went to the bench, the Cavaliers went on a run and led 34-29 for their largest lead of the game. The Magic were able to take back the lead at the half 42-41.

The Magic were able to extend their lead in the third quarter, leading by as much as eight points before settling for a 68-63 lead after three. The Magic were able to maintain their lead throughout the fourth quarter, leading by as much as nine points. Cleveland got as close as 94-89 with 36 seconds left before the Magic closed the game out with free throws.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 24 points (5 of 8 field goals, 14 of 19 free throws), 9 rebounds
Rafer Alston: 18 points (6 of 13 field goals), 3 steals
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 16 points (4 of 9 field goals), 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Rashard Lewis: 15 points (5 of 8 field goals)
Hedo Turkoglu: 13 points (1 of 11 field goals, 11 of 12 free throws), 10 rebounds, 7 assists

Cleveland leading scorers

LeBron James: 41 points (11 of 28 field goals, 1 of 8 three point field goals, 18 of 24 free throws), 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Mo Williams: 15 points (5 of 16 field goals), 7 rebounds, 5 turnovers
Delonte West: 12 points (5 of 11 field goals), 4 turnovers

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 42.9% (27 of 63) CLE 37.2% (29 of 78)
3 PT FG%: ORL 35.3% (6 of 17) CLE 19.2% (5 of 26)
FT%: ORL 76.5% (39 of 51) CLE 74.3% (26 of 35)
REB: CLE 42 (11 offensive) ORL 40 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: CLE 17/15 ORL 16/13
BENCH: ORL 20 CLE 8

Other game notes and stats:

-James' teammates combined to score just 48 points
-Ilgauskas, Williams, and West combined to shoot just 13 of 37
-The Cleveland bench combined to shoot 4 of 11
-Sasha Pavlovic went scoreless for the Cavaliers off the bench in 25 minutes, attempting just two field goals
-The Magic starters combined to shoot 32 of 40 from the free throw line
-The Magic made 30 of 35 free throws in the second half, including 19 of 23 in the fourth quarter
-The Cavaliers were whistled for 34 personal fouls, the Magic 24 fouls
-The Magic's Anthony Johnson was whistled for a flagrant 1 foul after an elbow to Williams' face
-Howard played just ten minutes in the first half due to his foul trouble, but didn't foul out until the final minute of the game
-The Cavaliers shot just 7 of 21 in the fourth quarter, including 2 of 12 from three point range
-The Magic made 6 of their first 7 shots and finished the first quarter 10 of 17 shooting

Game 4 will be Tuesday night in Orlando.

Here is the complete box score from nba.com

ECF Game 3 Sunday night preview

I'm sure that we've all grown tired of seeing countless replays of LeBron James' amazing game-winning 3 pointer in Game 2.

The fact remains the Magic now have the home-court advantage in this series.

The Magic are 1 1/2 point favorites tonight.

Here is the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports.

ECF Game 2: Cavaliers 96 Magic 95

LeBron James' 23 foot three pointer at the buzzer over Hedo Turkoglu lifted Cleveland to a dramatic one point win over the Magic. James' bucket came after Turkoglu gave the Magic a two point lead with a 12 footer with one second remaining.

Just like in Game 1, Cleveland came out like they were going to blow the Magic out quickly. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 20-9 lead and led after one quarter 30-16. They extended their lead to a game-high 23 points at 43-20 before the Magic began another comeback. The Magic cut their deficit to 12 at the half 56-44.

The Magic were able to get within 7 points in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers still led by 12 points before the Magic scored the last six points of the quarter to trail just 75-69 going into the fourth. This set the stage for another tense and exciting final quarter as the Magic took their first lead at 86-84 with just under 5 1/2 minutes remaining. Cleveland came back to lead 93-90 with 1:40 remaining. Turkoglu made a three to tie with 48.7 seconds remaining, and after James was called for a rare traveling violation, Turk gave the Magic the lead with just a second remaining before James saved the season for Cleveland.

Magic scoring leaders

Rashard Lewis: 23 points (6 of 15 field goals), 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Hedo Turkoglu: 21 points (9 of 17 field goals), 4 assists
Courtney Lee: 11 points (4 of 9 field goals)
Dwight Howard: 10 points (3 of 8 field goals), 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 10 points (4 of 5 field goals), 2 blocks

Cleveland scoring leaders

LeBron James: 35 points (12 of 23 field goals), 5 assists, 6 turnovers
Mo Williams: 19 points (7 of 21 field goals), 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 12 points (5 of 13 field goals), 15 rebounds, 2 blocks
Delonte West: 12 points (4 of 7 field goals), 5 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 47.9% (34 of 71) CLE 45.5% (35 of 77)
3 PT FG%: ORL 43.5% (10 of 23) CLE 26.3% (5 of 19)
FT%: CLE 80.8% (21 of 26) ORL 68% (17 of 25)
REB: CLE 38 (8 offensive) ORL 30 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: CLE 17/14 ORL 16/12
BENCH: ORL 26 CLE 14

Other game notes and stats:

-The Magic made just 7 of their first 25 field goal attempts; then made 27 of their final 46 shots
-The Magic made 6 of 11 three pointers in the second half
-The Magic outscored the Cavaliers from the field 78-75
-The Cavaliers made just 2 of 13 three pointers in the second half
-Rafer Alston was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures, finishing with 3 points on 1 of 7 shooting
-The Magic used a ten man rotation, as the reserves combined to shoot 11 of 15 from the field, including 3 of 6 from three point range
-The Cavaliers' starters outscored the Magic starters 82-68
-Sasha Pavlovic, who did not play in Game 1, led the Cavaliers' bench with 9 points; Joe Smith was the only other Cavaliers' reserve to score
-The Magic attempted only 5 free throws in the second half
-After falling behind 43-20, the Magic outscored the Cavaliers 75-50 before James' game-winning three

Game 3 will be in Orlando Sunday night.

Here is the complete box score from nba.com

Game 2 Friday night preview

The Magic will look to take a commanding 2 games to 0 lead over Cleveland in a 8:30 PM start on TNT.

LeBron James and Mo Williams are calling Game 2 a "must-win" game for Cleveland.

The oddsmakers aren't convinced the Magic are for real despite the Game 1 win, as the Cavaliers are solid 9 point favorites.

For the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports, click here

How Bad is that Cleveland Bench

I've never visited popcornmachine.net before, but it shows the whole flow of the game with who was on the floor. what I take from the charts and graphs is how well all 9 Magic who played contributed. Even Tony Battie who has been a season long drag on the team when on the floor had an even +/-. The only question this data brings up is how much to play Pietrus who was in the final 19 minutes of the game while the Magic were outperforming the Cav's.

Magic fans should cheer wildly when Cleveland goes to its bench.

Szczerbiak -7 +/- in 13.3 minutes
Joe Smith -8 +/- in 15.1 minutes
Ben Wallace -14 +/- in 9.8 minutes
D Gibson -3 +/- in 3.2 minutes.

Please "Coach of the Year" Brown -- Play Ben Wallace more minutes against Dwight! It's like playing 6 on 4. By the end of the 1st quarter Cleveland was grinding the Magic into dust with a 16 point lead when Wallace entered the game. Over the next 7 minutes Wallace was on the floor the Magic outscored Cleveland by 6. At the end of the 3rd, beginning of the 4th he played another 3 minutes with the Magic gaining 5 points and coming all the way back to within 2 points.

Joe Smith contributed to the comeback as well. He played 8 minutes bridging the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th while Ilguaskas sat. During that time the Magic outscored Cleveland by 9.

For acquiring these guys Danny Ferry was named Exec of the Year. Yes, he picked up Mo Williams, but has he done a better job than Otis Smith other than Williams and LeBron entering his prime? All Otis did was sign Pietrus and Johnson, trade for Liu and Alston to replace Jameer, take a big chance on Redick finally contributing and drafting Lee with the 22nd pick. So far, despite some growing pains, that is working out.

If Cleveland intends to single cover Dwight Howard with Ilgauskas and play tight D on the 3 point line in Game 2 Dwight needs to get Ilgauskas in foul trouble and force Wallace and Joe Smith into the game.

Can't wait for Game 2.

PopcornMachine's GameFlow - ORL @ CLE

Howard the Beast

1-0

It's not the shot of the game, but still memorable and a reminder that the "experts" have not paid attention to how these playoffs have matured and toughened the Magic.

ECF Game 1: Magic 107 Cavaliers 106

In a terrific fourth quarter that saw the lead change hands four times in the final 41 seconds, Rashard Lewis's three pointer with 14.7 seconds remaining gave the Magic the one point lead. Cleveland's Mo Williams' catch-and-shoot attempt off a jump ball with a second remaining was just a little long; as a result, the Magic stole home-court advantage from Cleveland in the 107-106 Game 1 stunner. The Magic were able to survive Lebron James setting a Cleveland playoff record with 49 points.

The Cavaliers started like a house on fire, jumping out to a big 33-17 lead with a minute remaining in the first quarter. The Magic were able to get within ten on several occasions in the second quarter, but Williams connected on a long 65 footer at the halftime horn to give Cleveland a comfortable 63-48 halftime lead.

The Magic made their move in the third quarter, as they cut the Cavaliers' lead to two late in the quarter, but the Magic trailed 82-78 entering the fourth. The Magic took their first lead at 85-84 with 10 minutes remaining, and were ahead 102-98 with 1:17 remaining. Cleveland scored five points in a row to take the lead 103-102 with 40.8 seconds remaining to set up the dramatic finish that saw Lewis make a shot followed by a three point play by James followed by Lewis's game-winner.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 30 points (14 of 20 field goals), 13 rebounds, 2 steals
Rashard Lewis: 22 points (9 of 13 field goals), 7 rebounds
Hedo Turkoglu: 15 points (4 of 11 field goals), 14 assists, 6 rebounds
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 13 points (5 of 10 field goals)
Rafer Alston: 11 points (4 of 10 field goals), 8 assists

Cleveland leading scorers

LeBron James: 49 points (20 of 30 field goals), 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks
Mo Williams: 17 points (6 of 19 field goals), 5 assists
Anderson Varejao: 14 points, 6 rebounds
Delonte West: 11 points (4 of 13 field goals), 6 assists, 4 steals
Zadrunas Ilgauskas: 10 points, 10 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 55.1% (43 of 78) CLE 48.9% (43 of 88)
3 PT FG%: ORL 45% (9 of 20) CLE 32% (8 of 25)
FT%: ORL 85.7% (12 of 14) CLE 70.6% (12 of 17)
REB: ORL 36 (8 offensive) CLE 33 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 32/13 CLE 23/8
BENCH: ORL 25 CLE 5

Other game notes and stats:

-After starting the game shooting 8 for 22, the Magic shot 35 of 56
-Lewis and Turkoglu combined to score 26 second-half points
-The Magic used a nine-man rotation, with Johnson, Gortat, and Battie seeing action as reserves along with Pietrus
-The Magic reserves combined to shoot 10 of 17 from the field
-Courtney Lee was the only Magic starter not to score in double figures, finishing with 4 points
-James scored 20 of the 41 field goals for the Cavaliers' starters
-Williams and West combined to shoot just 10 of 32 from the field
-Joe Smith was the only Cavaliers' reserve to score, as the Cavaliers' bench combined to shoot 2 of 7
-The Cavaliers' starters outscored the Magic starters 101-82
-Other than James, the other four Cavaliers' starters combined for 52 points

Game 2 will be Friday night in Cleveland.

For the complete box score from nba.com, click here

Game 1 Wednesday night preview

The Magic will open play in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1996 tonight at Cleveland against NBA MVP LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

J.J. Redick will be replaced in the Magic's starting lineup by Courtney Lee.

The Cavaliers are 9 point favorites.

For the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports, click here

For more information about the Magic/Cavaliers series, check out Third Quarter Collapse throughout the series.

Cleveland and Orlando Playoff Statistics

For the complete offensive, defensive, and individual statistics for the Cavaliers during the playoffs, click here

For the complete playoff statistics for the Magic, click here

Game 7: Magic 101 Celtics 82

The Orlando Magic made history Sunday night by becoming the first team ever to defeat Boston in a playoff series when the Celtics had a 3 games to 2 lead; Boston had won 32 series without a defeat previously in that situation.

The Magic did it in stunningly easy fashion, led by Hedo Turkoglu who had a spectacular game with 25 points and 12 assists. Boston's only lead was at 2-0. The Magic led by as much as 22-9 in the first quarter and settled for a 27-17 lead after one. The Magic extended their lead to 37-23 in the second before Boston went on a 15-5 run to cut their deficit to 42-38. The Magic went into the half with a 45-38 lead.

Boston came as close as 47-44 early in the third before the Magic went back ahead by double digits 62-52. The Celtics cut the Magic lead to 66-61 at the end of three to set the stage for what looked to be a very tense and exciting fourth quarter. The Magic jumped on the Celtics right away, outscoring Boston 13-1 to start the fourth to lead 79-62. The Magic held a commanding 85-66 lead before Boston tried one last time to come back and cut the Magic lead to 90-78 with under 4 and a half minutes remaining. The Magic took any remaining suspense out of the game by scoring the next 11 points on their way to a history-making 101-82 win, and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1996 to take on number one seed Cleveland.

Magic leading scorers

Hedo Turkoglu: 25 points (9 of 12 field goals), 12 assists, 5 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 19 points (5 of 14 field goals), 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 17 points (6 of 7 field goals)
Rafer Alston: 15 points (6 of 16 field goals), 4 assists, 2 steals
Dwight Howard: 12 points (5 of 9 field goals), 16 rebounds, 5 blocks

Boston leading scorers

Ray Allen: 23 points (9 of 18 field goals)
Paul Pierce: 16 points (4 of 13 field goals)
Glen Davis: 13 points
Rajan Rondo: 10 points (4 of 10 field goals), 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 51.4% (36 of 70) BOS 39.2% (29 of 74)
3 PT FG%: ORL 61.9% (13 of 21) BOS 25% (4 of 16)
FT%: BOS 80% (20 of 25) ORL 80% (16 of 20)
REB: BOS 37 (7 offensive) ORL 35 (3 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 26/16 BOS 21/13
BENCH: ORL 25 BOS 12

Other game notes and stats:

-The Magic starting frontline outscored the Celtics' starting frontline 56-37 and outrebounded them 26-21
-Turkoglu and Lewis combined for 44 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks
-Turkoglu and Pietrus combined to shoot 15 of 19 from the field, including 7 of 8 from three point range
-In the fourth quarter, the Magic shot 10 of 15 from the field, including 3 of 4 from the three point line, and shot 12 of 13 from the free throw line
-The Celtics, in the fourth quarter, shot just 7 of 18 from the field, including 2 of 8 from three point range
-The "Big Three" of Allen, Pierce, and Rondo combined to score 49 points on 17 of 41 shooting
-Other than Allen, the other four Boston starters combined to shoot just 15 of 41 from the field
-Other than Allen, the Celtics shot just 1 of 10 from long range
-The three main Celtics' bench players, House, Scalabrine, and Marbury scored a combined 8 points on 3 of 12 shooting
-J.J. Redick continued to start as SG for the Magic, and scored 5 points along with 4 assists in 24 minutes
-Marcin Gortat (5 points) and Courtney Lee (3 points) combined for 8 points off the Magic bench

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals begins Wednesday night in Cleveland.

For the complete box score from nba.com click here

Game 7 Sunday night preview

It's do or die for the Magic as they take on the Celtics in Boston in Game 7 which will be televised by TNT at 8 PM Eastern.

The Celtics are 2 1/2 point favorites.

For the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports, click here

ESPN Hollinger on Magic Game 6 Defense

Game 7 adjustments for the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic - ESPN

Orlando's defense in the second half of Game 6 was unbelievable. ... watch the tape from last night and pay attention.

Boston had 44 possessions in the second half and scored 29 points. I counted four open shots -- four. During a stretch of nearly 18 minutes in the third and fourth quarters, they had one, a layup by Glen Davis. The Celtics were seemingly inbounding the ball on the side after a deflection on every possession. Six times they either took a desperation shot at the end of the clock or had it run out on them.

Even the baskets they made were tough. Rajon Rondo hit two jumpers off the dribble at the shot-clock buzzer and made a difficult runner over Dwight Howard; those are exactly the shots Orlando wants Boston to take. Rondo got another two points at the line after appearing to clear out Mickael Pietrus on a drive to the basket. And Paul Pierce made three straight contested Js to briefly give Boston a lead in the fourth quarter -- again, Orlando can live with that.

That, the layup by Davis, two free throws by Pierce and a somewhat contested jumper by Eddie House off a second shot were the entirety of Boston's scoring in the final 18:56, a span in which they scored a grand total of 20 points in 35 possessions (Offensive Efficiency: 57.1) and took only four shots in the paint that weren't blocked.

We know the Magic are capable of beating Boston. Now they have to go out and do it on Sunday.

Game 6: Magic 83 Celtics 75

Led by Dwight Howard's 23 points, 22 rebounds (10 offensive) and 3 blocks, the Magic were able to overcome 36.6% field goal shooting and 54.8% free throw shooting to defeat Boston and force a Game 7 Sunday night in Boston.

The Magic never led in the first half, as they trailed 25-22 after one and 46-45 at the half. The Magic didn't score for the first five minutes of the third as the Celtics held their largest lead of the game at 55-45, but the Magic came back to cut the Celtics' lead to 62-61 at the end of three. The Magic scored 11 of the first 16 points in the fourth to lead 72-67, only to see Boston's Paul Pierce make three jumpers in a row to give the Celtics a 73-72 lead with just under five minutes remaining. The score was 75-75 with 3:46 remaining; the Magic proceeded to shut the Celtics out the rest of the way on their way to the 83-75 win.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 23 points (9 of 16 field goals), 22 rebounds (10 offensive), 3 blocks
Rashard Lewis: 20 points (7 of 18 field goals), 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Rafer Alston: 11 points (4 of 9 field goals), 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 11 points (4 of 8 field goals), 2 steals

Boston leading scorers

Rajan Rondo: 19 points (8 of 19 field goals), 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 5 turnovers
Paul Pierce: 17 points (6 of 14 field goals), 9 rebounds, 5 assists
Kendrick Perkins: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: BOS 41.6% (32 of 77) ORL 36.6% (30 of 82)
3 PT FG%: ORL 23.1% (6 of 26) BOS 16.7% (3 of 18)
FT%: BOS 61.5% (8 of 13) ORL 54.8% (17 of 31)
REB: BOS 48 (12 offensive) ORL 42 (16 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 18/22 ORL 13/10
BENCH: ORL 20 BOS 13

Other game notes and stats:

-The Magic outscored Boston 17-8 from the free throw line, and had 31 free throw attempts to just 13 for the Celtics
-The Magic attempted 24 second half free throws, the Celtics just 6
-Howard and Lewis combined to shoot 16 of 34 from the field; the rest of the magic combined to shoot 14 of 48
-Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Redick combined to shoot 3 of 20 from the field
-Turkoglu and Lewis combined to shoot 1 of 9 from three point range
-Other than Pietrus, the Magic bench combined to shoot 3 of 11
-Courtney Lee added six points off the bench in 22 minutes
-Allen and Pierce combined to shoot 0 for 10 from three point range
-The Celtics' "Big Three" of Pierce, Allen, and Rondo combined for 41 points
-The Magic starting frontline outscored the Celtics' starting frontline 50-38
-The Celtics committed 12 second half turnovers
-Boston made just 7 of their final 26 shot attempts

Game 7 will be Sunday night in Boston.

For the complete box score, click here

Game 6 tonight preview

The Magic will try and keep from being eliminated tonight by Boston in Orlando following a devastating Game 5 loss where the Magic could not hold a 14 point fourth quarter lead, and had Dwight Howard openly questioning his coach's strategy afterwards.

The game is at 7 PM Eastern and will be televised by ESPN.

The Magic are 7 point favorites

For the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports, click here

Game 5: Celtics 92 Magic 88

With 8:49 remaining in the game, the Magic were in complete control with a 77-63 lead. They still had a double-digit lead 85-75 with 5:39 remaining. Inexplicably and shockingly, the Magic collapsed as Boston scored 13 points in a row to take an 88-85 lead with 7.3 seconds remaining before Rashard Lewis made two free throws. Boston made their remaining free throws to complete their stunning comeback 92-88, and take control of the series 3 games to 2.

The Magic controlled the first 40 minutes of the game, as they led 22-16 after one and 45-37 at the half. The Magic were able to maintain their 8 point lead at 67-59 after three and extended their lead to 14 before the disastrous final 8 1/2 minutes.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 19 points (8 of 16 field goals), 5 rebounds
Hedo Turkoglu: 18 points (7 of 14 field goals), 7 assists
Rafer Alston: 16 points (6 of 15 field goals), 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Dwight Howard: 12 points (5 of 10 field goals), 17 rebounds, 4 turnovers

Boston leading scorers

Glen Davis: 22 points, 7 rebounds
Paul Pierce: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals
Ray Allen: 13 points (3 of 11 field goals)
Stephon Marbury (bench): 12 points (5 of 10 field goals)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 45% (36 of 80) BOS 42.3% (33 of 78)
3 PT FG%: BOS 31.2% (5 of 16) ORL 25% (6 of 24)
FT%: BOS 100% (21 of 21) ORL 83.3% (10 of 12)
REB: BOS 42 (11 offensive) ORL 39 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 23/8 ORL 23/10
BENCH: BOS 26 ORL 20

Other game notes and stats:

-J.J. Redick started at SG for the Magic and scored 3 points on 1 of 6 FGs in 29 minutes
-Tony Battie led the Magic reserves with 8 points in just 9 minutes
-Courtney Lee played only 11 minutes and scored 3 points off the bench
-Lewis and Turkoglu combined to make just 1 of 9 three pointers
-Howard did not block a shot in 37 minutes
-Rondo and Allen combined to shoot 6 of 23 for the Celtics
-The "Big Three" of Pierce, Allen, and Rondo combined to score 38 points, 22 points fewer than last game
-The Magic missed their final eight field goals of the game; five of them were three point attempts
-The Celtics made 10 of their final 15 shots as they outscored the Magic 29-11 to end the game

Game 6 is Thursday night in Orlando.

For the complete box score, click here

Game 5 tonight preview

With the series tied at two games apiece, the critical Game 5 of the Magic/Celtics series will take place tonight in Boston and be televised by TNT at 8 PM Eastern.

The Celtics are 2 1/2 point favorites.

For the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports, click here

Game 4: Celtics 95 Magic 94

Glen Davis's 20 foot jumper at the final buzzer gave the Magic an excruciating loss and Boston the win and home court advantage back as the series is now tied at two games apiece.

The Magic led after one quarter 28-25, and had their largest lead of the game at 42-38 in the second quarter, but the Celtics went into the half with a 48-46 lead. Boston extended their lead to as much as 69-60 in the third quarter and went into the fourth quarter with a 79-71 lead. The Celtics led 89-82 with just under 7 1/2 minutes remaining before they went cold from the field, missing their next eight shots to allow the Magic to take a 92-91 lead and then a 94-93 lead thanks to two Rashard Lewis free throws with 11 seconds remaining, which set up Davis's heroics.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 23 points (8 of 14 field goals), 17 rebounds, 3 blocks
Rashard Lewis: 22 points (8 of 14 field goals), 5 rebounds
Hedo Turkoglu: 11 points (4 of 14 field goals), 4 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 11 points (3 of 8 field goals), 2 steals

Boston leading scorers

Paul Pierce: 27 points (9 of 15 field goals), 4 assists
Rajon Rondo: 21 points (8 of 15 field goals), 14 rebounds
Glen Davis: 21 points (9 of 14 field goals), 6 rebounds
Ray Allen: 12 points (6 of 13 field goals), 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Kendrick Perkins: 12 points (5 of 7 field goals), 13 rebounds, 5 blocks

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: BOS 52.8% (38 of 72) ORL 40.0% (34 of 85)
3 PT FG%: ORL 18.5% (5 of 27) BOS 10% (1 of 10)
FT%: ORL 75% (21 of 28) BOS 66.7% (18 of 27)
REB: BOS 44 (9 offensive) ORL 38 (12 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 20/8 BOS 16/13
BENCH: ORL 31 BOS 2

Other game notes and stats:

-The Celtics' starters outscored the Magic starters 93-63
-The Celtics' "Big Three" of Pierce, Rondo, and Allen had their best combined game of the series, scoring 60 points
-The Celtics' starting guards (Rondo and Allen) outscored the Magic starting guards (Alston and Redick) 33-7
-Rondo and Allen combined to shoot 14 for 28, Alston and Redick 2 for 14
-Turkoglu, Alston, and Redick combined to shoot 6 of 28, including 2 of 15 on threes
-The Celtics' bench shot a combined 1 for 8 from the field
-Eddie House, who had scored a combined 46 points in his two previous games, was held scoreless in 17 minutes, and attempted just one shot
-Redick led the Magic with 7 assists
-Other than Howard, no one had more than 5 rebounds for the Magic
-Rondo had only 3 assists for the Celtics
-Courtney Lee and Marcin Gortat each had 8 points off the Magic bench
-The Celtics made just 2 of their final 10 field goals, with Davis making both in the final minute
-The Magic made just 4 of their final 14 field goals, and 4 of their final 7 free throws

Game 5 will be Tuesday night in Boston.

For the complete box score, click here

Game 4 Sunday night preview

The Magic will try to take a commanding 3 games to 1 lead over Boston as the two teams play tonight in Orlando.

The Magic are 5 point favorites

For the complete preview from Yahoo! Sports, click here

Former Magic coach Chuck Daly passes away

Chuck Daly, best-known for coaching the Detroit Pistons to two championships and coaching the Original Dream Team to the Olympic Gold Medal in 1992, passed away Saturday due to pancreatic cancer at the age of 78.

Daly spent his final two years in coaching with the Magic in 1997-'98 and the strike-shortened 1998-'99 season. The Magic finished 41-41 in '97-'98, just missing the playoffs, and finished 33-17 during the '98-'99 season, and were beaten by Philadelphia 3 games to 1 in the first round of the playoffs.

For the complete article from CBS Sports, click here

Game 3: Magic 117, Celtics 96

Coming off a terrible performance in Game 2 and without starting point guard Rafer Alston due to suspension, the Magic picked up their play to a much higher level, shooting 59% from the field and never trailed on the way to their most impressive performance of the playoffs.

The Magic led after one quarter 22-18, and opened up their lead to 53-41 at the half. The Magic continued to build their lead in the third quarter, as they led by as much as 74-54 before the Celtics made their only extended run of the game. They scored 15 of the final 19 points of the third quarter and trailed by just 9 points entering the fourth quarter. They were able to get as close as 80-73 before the Magic regained their dominance by going on a 34-16 run to lead 114-89 before cruising to the final of 117-96.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 28 points (9 of 17 field goals), 6 rebounds
Hedo Turkoglu: 24 points (8 of 12 field goals), 4 assists
Dwight Howard: 17 points (7 of 8 field goals), 14 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals
Anthony Johnson: 13 points (5 of 7 field goals), 3 assists, 2 steals
Courtney Lee (bench): 11 points (3 of 4 field goals), 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Boston leading scorers

Paul Pierce: 27 points (6 of 15 field goals), 6 assists, 3 steals
Rajon Rondo: 15 points (7 of 17 field goals), 6 assists, 5 rebounds
Eddie House (bench): 15 points (6 of 7 field goals)
Kendrick Perkins: 10 points, 7 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 59.1% (39 of 66) BOS 43% (34 of 79)
3 PT FG%: ORL 50% (9 of 18) BOS 27.8% (5 of 18)
FT%: BOS 88.5% (23 of 26) ORL 83.3% (30 of 36)
REB: ORL 36 (3 offensive) BOS 29 (6 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 24/15 ORL 16/19
BENCH: ORL 30 BOS 29

Other game notes and stats:

-Other than Redick, the other four Magic starters combined to shoot 29 of 44 from the field
-Other than Perkins, the other four Celtics' starters combined to shoot 18 of 51 from the field
-The Magic starting frontline outscord the Celtics' starting frontline 69-44
-Pierce, Allen, and Rondo combined to shoot just 16 of 45 for the Celtics for 50 points
-Allen was held to 8 points on 3 of 13 shooting
-Turkoglu and Lewis combined for 52 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals
-House has shot 17 of 21 from the field his last two games
-Johnson played 28 minutes as the starting point guard, and had a harsh exchange of words with Stan Van Gundy as he was pulled from the game near the end of the third quarter
-Lee played 32 minutes in his first game back since his sinus surgery
-Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus each added 7 points off the bench

Game 4 will be Sunday night in Orlando

For the complete box score, click here

Alston suspended for Game 3

For the complete preview for tonight's Game 3, click here

The Magic are 4 1/2 point favorites

Game 2: Celtics 112 Magic 94

In what was basically a must-win game for Boston, they came out and dominated from start to finish. Rajon Rondo had a triple-double and reserve Eddie House had a career game of 31 points.

The Celtics never trailed, opening a 26-21 lead after one quarter. They extended their lead to as much as 19 points in the second quarter before settling for a 61-46 halftime lead. They continued to extend their lead and led after three quarters 86-64. Their largest lead was 93-67 in the fourth quarter; the Magic could get no closer than 14 points after that as the Celtics cruised to the final score of 112-94.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 17 points (6 of 15 field goals), 10 rebounds
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 17 points (11 of 14 free throws)
J.J. Redick: 15 points (5 of 8 field goals)
Hedo Turkoglu: 14 points (4 of 8 field goals)
Dwight Howard: 12 points (5 of 13 field goals), 12 rebounds

Boston leading scorers

Eddie House (bench): 31 points (11 of 14 field goals)
Ray Allen: 22 points, 6 rebounds
Kendrick Perkins: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks
Rajon Rondo: 15 points, 18 assists, 11 rebounds
Glen Davis: 13 points, 5 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: BOS 51.2% (41 of 80) ORL 44.3% (31 of 70)
3 PT FG%: BOS 45.0% (9 of 20) ORL 42.1% (8 of 19)
FT%: BOS 84% (21 of 25) ORL 64.9% (24 of 37)
REB: BOS 41 (7 offensive) ORL 34 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 34/10 ORL 19/13
BENCH: BOS 43 ORL 29

Other game notes and stats:

-The Celtics' Paul Pierce scored the first three points of the game, then did not score again and played just 16 minutes due to foul trouble
-Pierce, Allen, and Rondo combined to score 40 points on 15 of 38 shooting, which was worse than their 46 combined points in Game 1
-J.J. Redick scored 11 of his 15 points in the first quarter
-Other than Redick, the four other Magic starters combined to shoot 18 of 47
-House, Brian Scalabrine, Perkins, and Davis combined to shoot 25 of 33 for the Celtics
-The Celtics outscored the Magic from the field 91-70
-Anthony Johnson had 7 assists off the bench to lead the Magic
-Rondo had an 18/3 assist/turnover ratio
-Rafer Alston slapped the Celtics' Eddie House in the head in the fourth quarter and faces a possible suspension

The series is now tied at 1 with Game 3 in Orlando Friday night.

For the complete box score, click here

Game 2 preview Wednesday night

The Magic will try to win their second game in a row in Boston.

The Celtics are 4 point favorites

For the complete game preview from Yahoo! Sports, click here

For complete Magic playoff coverage, go to Third Quarter Collapse

Game 1: Magic 95 Celtics 90

The Magic barely hung on to win after blowing most of a 28 point, 65-37 lead with just under ten minutes remaining against Boston.

The Magic led after one quarter 24-19 before Boston came back to take a brief 30-28 lead in the second, only to see the Magic dominate the rest of the quarter and go into the half with a 54-36 lead. The Magic then scored 11 of the first 12 third quarter points to take their largest lead of the game at 65-37. That ended a 37-7 Magic run. The Magic still had a comfortable 78-62 lead heading into the fourth before Boston made things really scary for the Magic. The Celtics pulled to within 94-90 with under a minute left and had a chance to get within one point but Ray Allen's three pointer rimmed out. J. J. Redick made four free throws in the final 30 seconds to finally seal the deal for the Magic at 95-90.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 18 points (8 of 18 field goals), 7 rebounds, 3 steals
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 17 points (7 of 13 field goals)
Dwight Howard: 16 points (6 of 12 field goals), 22 rebounds, 3 blocks
Hedo Turkoglu: 15 points (6 of 16 field goals), 5 assists
J.J. Redick: 12 points (3 of 5 field goals)

Boston leading scorers

Paul Pierce: 23 points (7 of 18 field goals)
Rajan Rondo: 14 points (2 of 12 field goals), 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 turnovers
Glen Davis: 12 points (6 of 10 field goals)

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: ORL 43.2% (35 of 81) BOS 38.5% (30 of 78)
3 PT FG%: BOS 34.8% (8 of 23) ORL 33.3% (9 of 27)
FT%: BOS 84.6% (22 of 26) ORL 76.2% (16 of 21)
REB: BOS 47 (10 offensive) ORL 40 (7 offensive)
AST/TO: BOS 23/15 ORL 20/13
BENCH: ORL 26 BOS 26

Other game notes and stats:

-After starting 7 for 9 from the field, Lewis made just 1 of his final 9 shots
-The Magic used an eight-man rotation, with Anthony Johnson (5 points) and Marcin Gortat (4 points) in addition to Pietrus
-Rondo and Ray Allen combined to shoot just 4 of 24 from the field
-Add Paul Pierce's 7 for 18 shooting and the trio combined to shoot just 11 of 42 and combined for 46 points
-The Celtics' bench combined to shoot 10 of 17 from the field, with Brian Scalabrine scoring 10 points to lead their reserves
-The Celtics went on a 53-28 run in the third and fourth quarters to cut their deficit to three points
-Rafer Alson led the Magic with 7 assists, and had a 7/4 assist/turnover ratio

With the win, the Magic now have home-court advantage as Game 2 will be Wednesday night in Boston.

For the complete box score, click here

Game 1 preview Monday night

The Eastern Conference semifinals begin Monday night as the Magic travel to Boston to take on the defending World Champions (minus Kevin Garnett). The Celtics are coming off a very tough seven game series victory over Chicago, while the Magic are coming off three wins in a row in a 4-2 series victory over Philadelphia.

Courtney Lee of the Magic will miss at least the first two games of the series, as he recovers from a fractured sinus. J.J. Redick is likely to start in his place.

The Celtics are 2 1/2 point favorites

For a complete preview from Yahoo! Sports of Game 1, click here

For more coverage of the Magic/Celtics series, check out Third Quarter Collapse

It will be Boston and Orlando in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Chicago Bulls' bid for one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history finally came to an end Saturday night, as the Celtics overcame a 9 point first half deficit and did not let the Bulls get any closer than 3 points in the fourth quarter on their way to a 109-99 victory in Game 7 to win the series 4 games to 3.

The Magic/Celtics series begins Monday night in Boston; Game 1 is a great opportunity for the Magic to win and steal the home-court advantage because Boston only gets one day of rest after such an emotional, tough series against the Bulls.

Game 6: Magic 114 76ers 89

Hardly anyone gave the Magic a chance to win Game 6, with Dwight Howard being suspended and Courtney Lee injured. As it turned out, the Magic played their best game of the series, as six players scored in double figures, as the Magic never trailed after falling behind briefly 5-2 and cruised to a 114-89 win to eliminate Philadelphia.

The Magic led 30-19 at the end of one quarter and 62-48 at the half. The Magic maintained their lead at 87-72 going into the fourth and blew the game wide-open in the fourth on the way to the final score.

Hedo Turkoglu picked up two technical fouls and was ejected in the fourth quarter after a skirmish with the 76ers' Samuel Dalembert.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 29 points (11 of 22 field goals), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks
Rafer Alston: 21 points (8 of 16 field goals), 10 assists, 3 steals
J.J. Redick: 15 points (5 of 7 three point field goals), 4 assists
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 14 points (5 of 10 field goals), 4 rebounds
Hedo Turkoglu: 12 points (5 of 8 field goals), 5 assists
Marcin Gortat: 11 points (5 of 8 field goals), 15 rebounds, 4 steals

Philadelphia leading scorers

Andre Miller: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Andre Iguodala: 20 points, 6 assists, 3 steals

Overall Game Statistics:

FG%: ORL 53.7% (44 of 82) PHI 40.8% (31 of 76)
3 PT FG%: ORL 46.2% (12 of 26) PHI 35% (7 of 20)
FT%: PHI 80% (20 of 25) ORL 70% (14 of 20)
REB: ORL 41 (12 offensive) PHI 36 (12 offensive)
AST/TO: ORL 31/14 PHI 17/17
BENCH: ORL 26 PHI 25

Other game notes and stats:

-The Magic outscored the 76ers 100-69 from the field
-Redick started in place of Lee, and Gortat started in place of Howard and combined for 26 points on 10 of 17 shooting
-The Magic used an eight-man rotation, with Pietrus, Anthony Johnson, and Tony Battie combining for 26 points on 10 of 19 field goals along with 11 rebounds and 5 assists off the bench
-Only Johnson failed to shoot at least 50% from the field for the Magic, but he contributed 5 points and 5 assists
-Alston had a 10/1 assist/turnover ratio
-Only Miller (7 of 13) for the 76ers shot at least 50%
-Iguodala and Miller combined to score 44 of the 64 points by the 76ers' starters
-The other three 76ers' starters, Young, Dalembert, and Green combined for 20 points on 10 of 28 shooting
-The 76ers' reserves combined to shoot 7 of 19

The Magic get to rest up for several days, as they will play the winner of the Chicago/Boston series, which is going down as one of the most incredible series in NBA playoff history. The Bulls won a wild Game 6 in triple overtime 128-127 Thursday night to force a Game 7 Saturday in Boston.

For the complete box score of the Magic/76ers, click here

For a column by Mike Freeman of cbssports.com, which completely disses the Magic, click here